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Area churches offer entertaining venues to celebrate holidays

By KATIE HANSEN Daily News Staff

Published: Sunday, December 8, 2013 at 04:41 PM.

Esther Roop said this third cantata performed by the church will be performed by a choir with members ranging from youth to elders. She said they will sing a range of music from familiar Christmas hymns for audience members to sing along to and new songs as well.

They will also have a narrator who will tell the story of Christmas throughout the cantata.

“The title says it all,” Roop said. “Jesus is the gift.”

Another unique experience — a hand bell concert — will be presented by the Parkview Baptist Church at 6 p.m. tonight in Morehead City. It is free and open to the public.

Secretary Robin Padgett said four groups will perform mostly traditional Christmas music: the children’s group, the adult special needs group called H.U.G.S., a beginner’s adult group and advanced adult group.

The Union Chapel Christian Church He is Here production begins at 7 p.m. tonight, and it is free and open to the public.

Special productions — including concerts, plays and live nativities — are offered to welcome the public into their church homes and celebrate the season.

In Jacksonville, the River of Life Church on Gum Branch Road is presenting its own original Christmas play, Mall Madness: Finding the Season’s True Reason on Dec. 14 and 15.

Topeka Benton, administrative assistant and praise and worship director with the church, said the annual production is free to the public.

This year’s original play, written by three congregation members and played by congregants as well, is about a mall employee who learns the meaning of Christmas and the birth story of Jesus Christ.

“Even a Christian can lose sight of the true meaning of Christmas,” Benton said. “We need to stop and thank God for Jesus.”

Benton added that the end of the production will include a children’s program where the kids will sing and act out a manger scene. Guests will be served cupcakes and beverages at the end.

Down the road at the First Baptist Church of Jacksonville, the public can check out a living nativity in the evenings Dec. 13 through 15.

Curt Carberry, the worship pastor at the First Baptist Church Jacksonville, said this year will be the fifth one that the church puts on a live nativity.

Carberry said the congregation will put on five different scenes: Caesar Augustus giving his decree, the road to Bethlehem, angels giving the announcement to shepherds, the traditional manger scene and the wise men traveling to see Jesus.

Carberry said groups of 40 or 50 people at a time will be led through the scenes with narration directly from the gospel of Luke, and live music will greet visitors throughout the event. The music will be presented by different groups from the church including the children and adult choirs and the youth and adult praise teams, or bands.

Carberry said the 20 to 25-minute tour will end with a petting zoo for the kids and wassail, coffee and cookies for the whole family.

“This is a chance for the community to reconnect with each other,” he said, adding that they hope groups will engage in conversation as they go through the nativity. “This is our Christmas card to the community.”

Centerview Baptist Church will present a Christmas Cantata on Dec. 15. Organizers said the annual cantata is presented to the public for free. Johnny Thompson, director of the cantata, said the church’s sanctuary choir will sing while approximately 24 actors will act the drama part of the cantata which will tell the story of Jesus’ birth.

According to Thompson, the church performs a different cantata every year.

The cantata will provide a mixture of old and new Christmas songs, “a little music for everybody,” Thompson said, including songs with Jewish flavor, songs with contemporary beats and songs with traditional sounds.

For audience members with children, Thompson said the church provides a nursery, but children are welcome to watch.

Thompson said the New River Barbershop Chorus will also be singing carols to welcome people as they arrive before the cantata.

The Maysville First Baptist Church is putting on an adult Christmas musical at 6:30 p.m. tonight and a children’s Christmas play at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 15. Jean Jolly, from the church’s Publicity Committee, said the church puts on the free shows for the public every year, and visitors will have the chance to enjoy refreshments along with a live poinsettia tree as well.

Also in Maysville, the White Oak Community Church will put on The Jesus Gift, a Christmas musical cantata at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 11 and 6 p.m. Dec. 15 at the church. Refreshments will also be provided.

Esther Roop said this third cantata performed by the church will be performed by a choir with members ranging from youth to elders. She said they will sing a range of music from familiar Christmas hymns for audience members to sing along to and new songs as well.

They will also have a narrator who will tell the story of Christmas throughout the cantata.

“The title says it all,” Roop said. “Jesus is the gift.”

Another unique experience — a hand bell concert — will be presented by the Parkview Baptist Church at 6 p.m. tonight in Morehead City. It is free and open to the public.

Secretary Robin Padgett said four groups will perform mostly traditional Christmas music: the children’s group, the adult special needs group called H.U.G.S., a beginner’s adult group and advanced adult group.

The Union Chapel Christian Church He is Here production begins at 7 p.m. tonight, and it is free and open to the public.

The performance will include a man representing Jesus, as well as Santa and worship dancers and angels.

Turner said she hopes the different elements will find a way to appeal to everyone. And though Turner didn’t want to give away anything, she did say one thing about the production:

“We’re bringing Santa Claus toward Jesus,” she said.

Cape Carteret Baptist Church is partnering with Bogue Banks Baptist Church to put on a free musical called The First Noel: Born is the King.

This is the first time the two churches have partnered; however, last year for Easter, Cape Carteret Baptist Music Director Patty J. Loftin said they partnered with First Baptist of Swansboro for a production.

“It’s a good experience,” she said. “It pulls the communities together, and it is an opportunity to fellowship with other believers.”

The musical will be presented at 7 p.m. Dec. 14 at the Cape Carteret Baptist Church located at 101 Anita Forte Drive, and 7 p.m. Dec. 15 at the Bogue Banks Baptist Church located at 1417 West Fort Macon Road in Atlantic Beach. Bogue Banks Baptist officials said they do a Christmas cantata every year, but this is their first time partnering with another church.

Swansboro United Methodist Church is putting on a host of activities for the Christmas season in which they invite the public to participate.

The church will present a Christmas Cantata performed by the adult choir at the 8:30 and 11 a.m. services on Dec. 8.

At 12 p.m. Dec. 11 and 18, the church will provide an Advent Service reflecting on the Christmas season before providing a light lunch. The events are free, but donations are accepted.

At 7:30 p.m. Dec. 14, there will be a community choir event in the sanctuary also free of charge.

At 7 p.m. Dec. 15, the church will present a Moravian LoveFeast which will be open to the public. The feast will include special music, a Moravian bun, coffee, and a candelight service.

The church will put on a contemporary candlelight service at 7 p.m. Dec. 19.

At 3:30 p.m. Dec. 24, the Spontaneous Christmas Pageant will be put on by the children of the church.

“It’s just something fun for the family,” said Carla Dean, a member of the church.

At 5 p.m., there will be a candlelight service and carols; and at 7 p.m., they will hold a candlelight communion service.